Characterization of a new polyvalent antivenom (Antivipmyn Africa) against African vipers and elapids.
As a response to the antivenom shortage in Sub-Saharan Africa, evident for well over a decade, we developed a new polyvalent anti-ophidian antivenom (Antivipmyn((R)) Africa) designed for use in the region. We report a detailed characterization of its biochemical composition (protein content and profiling by size-exclusion chromatography and electrophoresis) as well as the specific and para-specific neutralization potencies (as median effective dose in the mouse lethality test). Additionally, we studied the neutralization of hemorrhagic, anti-hemostatic and necrotic activities of Echis ocellatus venom, responsible for a majority of severe envenomations in the continent according to existing epidemiological data. The antivenom is currently under production and has already been employed in the field in a pragmatic Phase III clinical trial in the Republic of Benin. It is a purified lyophilized polyvalent equine F(ab')(2)-based product obtained by immunization with the venoms of eleven species of African snakes of the Genera Echis, Bitis, Naja and Dendroaspis. The criteria for its design are discussed, particularly in terms of the implementation of realistic public health policies targeting mostly rural populations in the continent.
Ramos-Cerrillo
Blanca
B
Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico.
de Roodt
Adolfo R
AR
Chippaux
Jean-Philippe
JP
Olguín
Laura
L
Casasola
Andrea
A
Guzmán
Guadalupe
G
Paniagua-Solís
Jorge
J
Alagón
Alejandro
A
Stock
Roberto P
RP
D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004355:Drug Stability; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000276:immunology / Q000633:toxicity; D006470:Hemorrhage; D006736:Horses; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D009336:Necrosis; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D013045:Species Specificity; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000276:immunology / Q000633:toxicity
D000997:Antivenins; D004546:Elapid Venoms; D014757:Viper Venoms; C538992:antivipmyn Africa